CN106487874B

CN106487874B - Server device, information processing system, and control method

Info

Publication number: CN106487874B
Application number: CN201610737692.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冈山典嗣
Original assignee: Canon Inc
Current assignee: Canon Inc
Priority date: 2015-08-31
Filing date: 2016-08-26
Publication date: 2020-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-26
Also published as: US10097716B2; EP3136263A1; EP3136263B1; JP6727775B2; CN106487874A; US20170064118A1; JP2017049660A

Abstract

The invention provides a server apparatus, an information processing system, and a control method. The server apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store setting information used by the client apparatus to perform an operation; a receiving unit configured to receive, from a first client apparatus, a deletion request for deleting a part of the setting information from among the setting information stored in the storage unit; a notification unit configured to notify, to the second client apparatus, update information indicating that a part of the setting information for which the deletion request has been made is deleted; and a control unit configured to control in such a manner that: the update information is retained to be stored in the storage unit until a predetermined condition is satisfied after the deletion request is received, and the update information is deleted from the storage unit according to the satisfaction of the predetermined condition.

Description

Server device, information processing system, and control method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technique for sharing setting information between an information processing apparatus and a server apparatus via a network.

Background

In a conventionally known technique, setting information is shared among all devices managed by a user, so that information on a server can be consistently used by the devices.

In the system discussed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-118771, application data is transmitted and received to be shared between a server and a client. The application data includes still images, moving images, document files, electronic mails, calendars. The server discussed in japanese patent laid-open No. 2011-118771 manages history information indicating the type of change (e.g., addition, update, or deletion) made to data held in the server. In the system discussed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-118771, history information is used to share application data between a server and a client.

The server discussed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-118771 keeps storing history information once recorded in a manner not to delete it. Once the amount of history information stored in the server discussed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-118771 exceeds the upper limit, the server stops recording the history information.

The server discussed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-118771 is configured not to delete history information that has been once recorded. Therefore, when the synchronization process is repeatedly executed, the amount of history information stored in the server exceeds the upper limit of the storage capacity of the server.

In the system discussed in japanese patent laid-open No. 2011-118771, once the amount of history information exceeds the upper limit, the synchronization process using the history information can no longer be performed. Then, after the amount of history information exceeds the upper limit, the system discussed in japanese patent laid-open No. 2011-118771 switches the synchronization process to a synchronization process that does not use history information. As a result, in this system, the load for performing the synchronization processing increases as compared to before the amount of history information exceeds the upper limit.

In this way, in such a conventional technique, since the synchronization process is repeatedly performed without deleting the history information that is no longer required, the storage capacity of the server cannot be effectively used.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the invention, a server apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the server apparatus comprising: a storage unit configured to store setting information used by a client device to operate, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory function as: a receiving unit configured to receive, from a first client apparatus, a deletion request for deleting a part of the setting information stored in the storage unit, a notification unit configured to notify, to a second client apparatus, update information indicating that the part of the setting information to which the deletion request has been transmitted is deleted, and a control unit configured to control in such a manner that: the update information is retained to be stored in the storage unit until a predetermined condition is satisfied after the deletion request is received, and the update information is deleted from the storage unit when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a synchronization system.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a server.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral (MFP).

Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of software modules in the synchronization system.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a deletion process executed in the MFP.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a deletion process performed in the server.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating synchronization processing executed in the MFP according to the first exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating synchronization processing performed in the server.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments described below are not intended to limit the invention according to the appended claims. Not all combinations of features described in the exemplary embodiments are essential to the solution provided by the invention.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to a first exemplary embodiment. A server 110 (server apparatus) and multifunction peripherals (MFPs) 120a and 120b (client apparatuses) are connected to the network 100. In some cases, the MFPs 120a and 120b are collectively referred to as the MFP 120. In the following description, when the same setting information is shared between the server 110 and the MFP120 at the same time, it is referred to as synchronizing the setting information between the server 110 and the MFP120a or 120 b.

The server 110 is an information processing apparatus that manages main data 411 of setting information of the

MFPs

120a and 120 b. The setting information is information used by the MFP120 to perform an operation. Examples of the setting information include address data, a setting value of print density, and a setting value of standby time before the device shifts to the sleep mode, and configuration information of the MFP120 (an Internet Protocol (IP) address and information indicating whether the MFP120 has a FAX unit). When the master data 411 held in the server 110 is updated, the server 110 transmits information indicating the updated content (hereinafter referred to as update information) to the

MFPs

120a and 120b via the network 100. For example, the update information transmitted from the server 110 to the MFP120a is information indicating a difference between the setting information that has been shared between the server 110 and the MFP120a and the updated setting information in the server 110. The same applies to the update information transmitted from the server 110 to the MFP120 b.

Upon receiving update information for setting information from the

MFPs

120a and 120b, the server 110 updates the value in the master data 411. The server 110 may be an image forming apparatus having a management function for setting information.

The MFP120 is, for example, a device that realizes various functions (such as copying and facsimile). Setting information for realizing these functions is stored in the MFP 120. The MFP120 also functions as an image forming apparatus that performs processing of forming an image on a recording medium such as paper. When the setting information is updated, the MFP120a transmits the update information to the server 110 via the network 100. For example, the update information is information indicating a difference between the setting information that has been shared between the MFP120a and the server 110 and the setting information that has been updated in the MFP120 a.

Upon receiving the update information of the main data 411 for the setting information from the server 110, the MFP120a updates the setting information stored therein with the received update information. In a manner similar to the MFP120a, the MFP120b shares the setting information with the server 110.

With this configuration, the same setting information can be stored in the server 110 and in the

MFPs

120a and 120 b.

For example, when the setting information in the master data 411 on the server 110 used by both the

MFPs

120a and 120b is updated, the server 110 transmits the update information of the setting information to the

MFPs

120a and 120 b. In this way, the setting information held by the server 110 and the setting information held by the MFP are synchronized.

When the setting information in any one of the

MFPs

120a and 120b is updated, the MFP whose setting information has been updated transmits the update information to the server 110. The server 110 updates the master data 411 with the received update information. When the master data 411 is updated, the server 110 transmits the updated content as update information to the

MFPs

120a and 120 b. In this way, the same setting information can be constantly stored in the server 110 and in the

MFPs

120a and 120 b.

Next, with reference to the block diagram in fig. 2, the configuration of the server 110 according to the present exemplary embodiment is described. The server 110 includes a controller unit 200, an operation unit 220, and a display unit 230.

The controller unit 200 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 203. The CPU 203 reads out and executes a boot program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)206 to boot an Operating System (OS).

The CPU 203 executes an application program stored in a Hard Disk Drive (HDD)205 on the OS to perform various types of processing. The CPU 203 uses a Random Access Memory (RAM)204 as a work area.

The HDD205 stores an application program, main data 411 of setting information of the MFP120, and the like. The management method of the master data 411 will be described in detail below.

The ROM 206, the RAM 204, the operation unit I/F201, the display unit I/F202, and the communication I/F207 are connected to the CPU 203 via a system bus 210.

The operation unit I/F201 serves as an interface with the operation unit 220. The operation unit 220 may be, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The operation unit I/F201 notifies the CPU 203 of information input by the user via the operation unit 220.

The display unit I/F202 outputs image data to the display unit 230. For example, the display unit 230 can display image data. The communication I/F207 is connected to the network 100, and inputs and outputs information with devices on the network 100 through the network 100.

Next, with reference to the block diagram in fig. 3, the configuration of the MFP120 according to the present exemplary embodiment is described. The MFP120 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a controller unit 300, an operation unit 320, a scanner 330, and a printer 340. An operation unit 320, a scanner 330 serving as an image input device, and a printer 340 serving as an image output device are connected to the controller unit 300.

The controller unit 300 includes a CPU 302. The CPU 302 reads out and executes a boot program stored in the ROM 306 to boot the OS. The CPU 302 executes an application program stored in the HDD 305 on the OS to execute various types of processing. The CPU 302 uses the RAM 303 as a work area. The RAM 303 provides a work area and an image memory area that temporarily stores image data. The HDD 305 stores application programs, image data, and various types of setting information. The setting information is used, for example, by the CPU 302 to control the operation of the scanner 330 or the printer 340. A method of managing the setting information in the MFP120 is described below.

The ROM 306, the RAM 303, the operation unit I/F301, the device I/F304, the communication I/F307, and the image processing unit 308 are connected to the CPU 302 via a system bus 310.

The operation unit I/F301 is an interface with the operation unit 320 to output image data to be displayed on the display unit 321 of the operation unit 320 to the operation unit 320. The operation unit 320 may be, for example, a touch panel. The operation unit I/F301 transmits information input to the operation unit 320 by the user to the CPU 302.

The scanner 330 and the printer 340 are connected to the device I/F304. The scanner 330 reads an image to generate image data. The image to be read by the scanner 330 includes a photograph, a picture, and text. The printer 340 executes a printing process of forming an image on a sheet of paper. The CPU 302 controls the scanner 330 and the printer 340 via the device I/F304.

The communication I/F307 is connected to the network 100, and outputs and receives information to and from various devices on the network 100 through the network 100. The image processing unit 308 performs processing such as image input processing from the scanner 330, image output processing to the printer 340, image rotation processing, image compression processing, resolution conversion processing, color space conversion processing, tone conversion processing, and the like.

The MFP120b has the same configuration as that of the MFP120a described with reference to fig. 3.

Next, an example of a configuration of modules of software executed in the system according to the present exemplary embodiment is described with reference to fig. 4. The server application 410 is software executed by the CPU 203 of the server 110. The client application 420 is software executed by the CPU 302 of the MFP120a and the MFP120 b. The various modules shown in fig. 4 may be implemented in hardware. First, the configuration of the modules of the server application 410 will be described.

The master data 411 is a database storing setting information for operating the MFP120 connected to the server 110.

The deletion recording unit 412 (holding unit) records (holds) information indicating the time when the setting information recorded in the main data 411 is deleted.

The input/output control unit 413 controls the operation unit 220. The input/output control unit 413 notifies the control unit 415 of an instruction input by the user, and controls the display unit 230 to display a screen according to control performed by the control unit 415.

The communication control unit 414 communicates with the client application 420. The communication control unit 414 performs reception processing of receiving an update request for the master data 411 from the client application 420. The update request for the master data 411 includes a request for addition, change, deletion of setting information. Addition, change, and deletion of setting information can be performed for each part of the setting information stored in the main data 411.

The communication control unit 414 receives an acquisition request for update information indicating update contents of the setting information stored in the main data 411 from the client application 420. In the present exemplary embodiment, the acquisition request includes time information indicating a time when the setting information, which is an object of the acquisition request, is shared (synchronized) between the client application 420 and the server application 410. The communication control unit 414 notifies the control unit 415 of the received request.

The communication control unit 414 acquires the responses to the respective requests from the control unit 415, and transmits the responses to the client application 420. For example, in response to an update request for the master data 411, the communication control unit 414 transmits a response to the client application 420 indicating that the master data 411 has been updated. Further, in response to the acquisition request for the update information, the communication control unit 414 transmits update information indicating the content of update of the setting information stored in the main data 411. The updated content includes information indicating the setting information added to the main data 411 in response to the addition request, information indicating that the setting information has been changed, and information indicating that a part of the setting information has been deleted.

The control unit 415 controls the respective modules in the server application 410. In response to an update request for the main data 411, the control unit 415 updates the setting information stored in the main data 411. The control unit 415, which has updated (changed, added, or deleted) the setting information stored in the main data 411, records information indicating the updated content and the update time in the main data 411. For example, when the setting information a already stored in the main data 411 is deleted, information indicating that the setting information a has been deleted is recorded in the main data 411 while being associated with the deletion time. The update information indicating that the setting information a has been deleted may be recorded by turning on a deletion flag associated with the setting information a. When the setting information B is changed, the update time of the setting information B is recorded in the main data 411 while being associated with the setting information B that has been changed.

The control unit 415 responds to the acquisition request from the client application 420 with the updated content of the master data 411 that is performed after the time indicated by the time information in the acquisition request. The control unit 415 refers to the update information and the update time that have been recorded in the main data 411 to determine the content of the response to the acquisition request.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the control unit 415 notifies the client application 420 of only the difference from the setting information previously synchronized between the client application 420 and the server application 410. Therefore, it is possible to perform the synchronization processing by a transaction (transaction) involving only a part of the setting information without transmitting all the setting information recorded in the main data 411. As a result, the synchronization processing can be performed with a smaller processing load and a smaller communication load.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the user can view and edit the setting information recorded in the main data 411 by operating the operation unit 220 or the operation unit 320 via the web application to access the control unit 415.

Next, the construction of the modules of the client application 420 will be described.

The setting information database (hereinafter, "DB") 421 serves as a storage unit that stores setting values used by the MFP120 to perform operations.

The input/output control unit 422 controls the operation unit 320. The input/output control unit 422 notifies the control unit 424 of an instruction input by the user. Then, the control unit 424 controls the display unit 321 to display the screen accordingly.

The communication control unit 423 communicates with the server application 410. The communication control unit 423 transmits an update request for the master data 411 to the server application 410. As described above, the update request for the master data 411 includes the addition request, the change request, and the deletion request for the setting information. When the setting information stored in the setting information DB421 is updated, the communication control unit 423 transmits an update request according to the update to the master data 411 under control performed by a control unit 424 described later.

The communication control unit 423 transmits an acquisition request of update information indicating the content of update of the master data 411 to the server application 410. For example, a fetch request for updated information may be periodically sent from the client application 420 to the server application 410. The communication control unit 423 receives responses to the respective requests from the server application 410.

The control unit 424 controls the respective modules of the client application 420. The control unit 424 controls the setting information stored in the setting information DB421, including changes, additions, and deletions.

The server application 410 and the client application 420 operate to synchronize the setting information recorded in the main data 411 and the setting information recorded in the setting information DB 421.

Next, the deletion process for the setting information will be described. A flow of the deletion process for the setting information in the MFP120 is described with reference to fig. 5. In the present exemplary embodiment, an example is described in which the MFP120a serving as the first client apparatus executes processing. The flow shown in fig. 5 is executed by the control unit 424 of the client application 420. For example, the flow shown in fig. 5 is realized by the CPU 302 reading out and executing a program stored in the HDD 305 or the ROM 306.

In step S501, when receiving a notification from the input/output control unit 422 that a deletion request is input via the operation unit 320 (yes in step S501), the control unit 424 determines to execute the deletion process, and the process proceeds to step S502. On the other hand, when the deletion request is not input (no in step S501), the processing in step S501 is repeated.

In step S502, the control unit 424 deletes the setting information of the setting item specified with the deletion request from the setting information DB 421. When the control unit 424 deletes the setting information, the processing proceeds to step S503.

In step S503, the control unit 424 transmits a deletion request to the server 110. The deletion request includes information indicating the setting item that is the target of the deletion request, and time information indicating the time when the setting information is deleted from the setting information DB 421. When the control unit 424 executes the processing in step S503, the processing returns to step S501.

Referring to table 1 and table 2, an example of the deletion process performed by the client application 420 is described. In the example described with reference to tables 1 and 2, the deletion process is performed for the setting information of the address data for transmitting FAX or email.

Table 1 exemplifies address data before the deletion process is performed. Table 2 exemplifies address data after deletion processing of deletion information is performed on address 3. The client application 420 transmits information indicating that the information on the address 3 has been deleted and information indicating the time when the deletion was made to the server application 410.

[ Table 1]

Address sequence number	Address name	Address
			Address 1	Ongshan mountain	03-4444-9999
Address 2	Haw mouth	aaaa@xxxx.co.jp
			Address 3	Island	bbbb@xxxx.co.jp
Address 4	Fugang	cccc@xxxx.co.jp
			...	-	-
Address N	-	-

[ Table 2]

Next, a deletion process for setting information performed in the server 110 will be described with reference to fig. 6. The flow shown in fig. 6 is executed by the control unit 415 of the server application 410. The flow shown in fig. 6 is realized, for example, by the CPU 203 reading out and executing a program stored in the HDD205 or the ROM 206.

In step S601, the control unit 415 determines whether a deletion request has been received from the client application 420. When the control unit 415 has received the deletion request (yes in step S601), the process proceeds to step S602. When the control unit 415 has not received the deletion request (no in step S601), the processing proceeds to step S603.

In step S602, the control unit 415 turns on a deletion flag corresponding to the setting item of the deletion target based on the identification information for identifying the setting item of the deletion target included in the deletion request. Table 3 illustrates an example of a case where a deletion request for address 3 is received in a state where the address data shown in table 1 has been synchronized between the server application 410 and the client application 420. In address 3, the date and time when the deletion request was received is recorded as the deletion flag. The address number, address name, and address associated with the deletion flag are used as the update history of the setting information in the server 110.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the address name and the address information whose delete flag has been opened remain undeleted. Therefore, even when the user accidentally deletes the address data, the address name and the address information can be restored on the server 110.

In the present exemplary embodiment, an example is described in which the address name and the address information are retained as the update history to be stored in the master data 411 in terms of the setting information of the address 3 to which the deletion request has been sent from the MFP120 a. However, it is not limited thereto. For example, the update history may be recorded in any manner as long as the fact that the setting information on the address 3 has been deleted can be recognized. For example, a program such as "address 32014061214: 11 receives the delete message.

[ Table 3]

In the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in table 3, the control unit 415 does not delete the information on the address 3 from the master data 411 at the timing when the deletion request is received. In this way, in MFPs other than the MFP that has sent the deletion request, the synchronization process of deleting the setting information of the deletion target can be executed with a smaller processing load and a smaller communication load.

For example, when the deletion flag is turned on for table 3 in response to a deletion request from the MFP120a, as the server 110 notifies the MFP120b of the deletion of the address 3, the address data in table 3 can be synchronized between the server 110 and the MFP120 b.

On the other hand, when the address 3 is deleted from table 3 in response to the deletion request from the MFP120a without providing the deletion flag so that no update history remains, the server 110 cannot recognize that the address 3 has been deleted from table 3. Therefore, in order to synchronize the data in table 3 between the server 110 and the MFP120b, it is necessary to completely overwrite the address data in the MFP120b with the entire data in table 3 transmitted from the server 110 to the MFP120 b.

As described above, in the configuration using the update history, the deletion processing can be performed with a smaller processing load and a smaller communication load in the system as a whole, as compared with the configuration not using the update history.

Referring back to fig. 6, in step S603, the control unit 415 determines whether the setting information (update history) whose deletion flag has been turned on is deleted from the master data 411.

As described above, the synchronization process can be efficiently performed by using the deletion flag. However, when the setting information whose deletion flag has been turned on is left stored in the main data 411, the setting information that has been deleted in the MFP120 is left stored in the server 110. Therefore, the update history, which is no longer necessary for the synchronization process for synchronizing the setting information between the server 110 and the MFP120, is retained as being stored in the master data 411. As a result, the storage capacity of the server 110 is unnecessarily consumed.

Therefore, in step S603, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the control unit 415 not only turns off the deletion flag but also deletes the setting information that the deletion flag has been turned on. Therefore, the storage capacity of the server 110 can be effectively used. More specifically, the control is performed in the following manner: the update history is kept stored in the master data 411 until a predetermined condition is satisfied after the deletion request has been received, and the update history is deleted from the master data 411 when the predetermined condition is satisfied. The update history is update information used by the MFP120 to identify the deleted part of the setting information held in the main data 411.

For example, after the deletion flag thereof has been turned on in response to the reception of the deletion request by the control unit 415, the setting information for a predetermined period of time is stored, may be determined to have satisfied the predetermined condition, and thus may be determined to be deleted. This means that the update history remains stored in the master data 411 until a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the deletion request has been received by the control unit 415. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the deletion request has been received, the control unit 415 deletes the update history from the master data 411.

Alternatively, when the setting information of the deletion target has been deleted in all MFPs connected to the server 110, the control unit 415 determines to delete the setting information (update history) whose deletion flag has been turned on from the master data 411. For example, the server 110 stores identification information of each MFP120 connected to the server 110 in the master data 411. After the time when the deletion flag is turned on, the server 110 determines whether the synchronization process has been completed for all connected MFPs 120. When the time when the synchronization processing with the server 110 is completed for all the MFPs 120 connected to the server 110 is after the time when the deletion flag of the setting information is turned on, the control unit 415 deletes the setting information. Therefore, after the control unit 415 has received the deletion request, the communication control unit 414 remains stored in the master data 411 until it notifies all the MFPs 120 connected to the server 110 of the update history. The control unit 415 controls in the following manner: when the communication control unit 414 has notified all the client apparatuses of the update history, the update history is deleted from the master data 411.

Alternatively, the setting information whose deletion flag has been opened may be deleted from the server 110 when the number of the setting information whose deletion flag has been opened exceeds a predetermined number, when the amount of data stored in the main data 411 exceeds a predetermined amount, or when the remaining storage capacity of the server 110 for storing the setting information becomes a predetermined amount or less. As described above, the update history is kept stored in the main data 411 until the amount of the setting information stored in the main data 411 exceeds the predetermined threshold after the control unit 415 has received the deletion request. Alternatively, the control unit 415 controls in the following manner: when the amount of information stored in the main data 411 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the update history is deleted from the main data 411.

In step S604, the control unit 415 determines whether to delete the setting information (update history) in which the deletion flag has been turned on, based on the result in step S603. When the control unit 415 determines not to delete the update history (no in step S604), the process returns to step S601. On the other hand, when the control unit 415 determines to delete the update history (yes in step S604), the processing proceeds to step S605. In the present exemplary embodiment, the control unit 415 determines not to delete update information indicating an update (e.g., addition or change) other than the deletion setting information. For example, when the communication controlling unit 414 receives an addition request, update information indicating that the setting information has been added is stored in the main data 411. Even when the above-described predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, a predetermined period of time has elapsed) after the addition request is received, control for deleting the update information indicating that the setting information has been added is not performed.

In step S605, the control unit 415 controls the main data 411 so as to delete the setting information whose deletion flag has been turned on. In this way, the update history of the setting information is deleted. Table 4 illustrates an example of setting information in which the setting information whose deletion flag has been opened is deleted from the main data 411 storing the setting information shown in fig. 3. When the control unit 415 deletes the update history of the setting information, the processing proceeds to step S606.

[ Table 4]

Address sequence number	Address name	Address	Delete marker
				Address 1	Ongshan mountain	03-4444-9999
Address 2	Haw mouth	aaaa@xxxx.co.jp
				Address 4	Fugang	cccc@xxxx.co.jp
...	-	-
				Address N	-	-

In step S606, the control unit 415 records the information in the deletion recording unit 412. This information indicates that the update history (setting information with the delete flag turned on) has been deleted from the master data 411. In step S606, the control section 415 records information indicating the time when the setting information is deleted in the deletion recording section 412.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the identification information indicating the setting information that has been deleted is not recorded in the deletion recording unit 412. Even when a plurality of setting information is deleted in step S605, only one piece of information indicating that the setting information has been deleted from the main data 411 is recorded, and the time when the last one of the plurality of setting information is deleted is recorded. When the processing in step S606 is completed, the processing returns to step S601.

Next, the synchronization process performed by the MFP120 will be described with reference to fig. 7. More specifically, an example of the synchronization process executed by the MFP120b serving as the second client apparatus is described below. The flow shown in fig. 7 is implemented by the control unit 424 of the client application 420. The flow shown in fig. 7 is realized, for example, by the CPU 302 reading out and executing a program stored in the HDD 305 or the ROM 306.

In step S701, the control unit 424 transmits an acquisition request for update information to the server 110. For example, an acquisition request for update information may be periodically transmitted. The update information is difference information indicating a difference in setting information between the setting information held in the MFP120 and the setting information held in the server 110.

The request transmitted by the MFP120b includes time information indicating the time when the setting information is updated in the MFP120 b.

The server 110 transmits the update information to the MFP120b as a response. The update information includes the content of the setting information updated in the server 110 after the time indicated by the time information in the acquisition request from the MFP120 b. For example, when the setting information stored in the master data 411 includes setting information whose deletion flag has been turned on after the time indicated by the acquisition request (the time when the previous synchronization processing is executed), update information indicating that the setting information has been deleted is transmitted as a response. When the main data 411 has not been updated after the previous processing, the server 110 transmits update information indicating that there has not been any update to the MFP120b as a response.

In step S702, the control unit 424 determines whether the update information has been successfully acquired. In the present exemplary embodiment, update information indicating that the master data 411 has not been updated after the previous preamble processing is also regarded as update information.

When an error response is received from the server 110 (no in step S702), the process proceeds to step S705. When a record indicating that the setting information has been deleted from the main data 411 after the previous processing remains in the deletion record unit 412 of the server application 410, the update information cannot be acquired. As described above, at the timing when the setting information (update history) whose deletion flag has been turned on is deleted from the master data 411, the deletion information is recorded in the deletion recording unit 412. The deletion recording unit 412 does not store information indicating the setting information that has been deleted. Therefore, the server 110 cannot transmit the updated content (deleted content) as a response to the acquisition request from the MFP120 b. Therefore, the server 110 transmits an error response to the MFP120 b. In this case, the control unit 424 cannot acquire the update information from the server 110.

When the update information is successfully received (yes in step S702), the process proceeds to step S703. When the update information is not successfully received from the server 110 (no in step S702), the processing proceeds to step S705.

In step S703, the control unit 424 updates the setting information recorded in the setting information DB421 using the update information acquired from the server 110, and the processing proceeds to step S704.

Table 5 illustrates an example of update information acquired from the server 110. More specifically, table 5 illustrates one of the setting information included in the list shown in table 3, which has been updated after the time indicated by the time information in the update request. The example shown in table 5 indicates that the data of address 3 has been deleted. In the present exemplary embodiment, the update information transmitted from the server 110 includes information on the address name and address that have been deleted. The control unit 424 receives the update information shown in table 5 from the server application 410.

[ Table 5]

In step S704, the control unit 424 stores time information indicating the time when the setting information is updated in the MFP120b in the setting information DB 421. The time information is managed as the last time of synchronization between the MFP120b and the server 110. When the processing in step S704 is completed, the synchronization processing is terminated.

In step S705, the control unit 424 requests the server 110 to transmit all setting information about the MFP120b and setting items to be updated from among the setting information recorded in the main data 411. For example, when updating of the address data is requested, all the address data related to the MFP120b in the main data 411 is requested. For example, acquisition of all address data shown in table 4 stored in the main data 411 is requested. When the address data includes a plurality of pages, only the entire page including the updated contents may be requested. Any setting information having a larger data amount than the update information may be requested.

In step S706, the control unit 424 receives the data requested in step S705. In step S707, the control unit 424 reflects the received data to the setting information DB 421. In step S707, instead of replacing only the updated portion of the address data, all the address data stored in the setting information DB421 or the entire page including the update is updated with the address data in the main data 411. As a result, the data in the updated setting information DB421 matches the master data 411. Table 6 illustrates an example of address data in the setting information DB421 after the processing in step S707 has been performed. The data in the setting information DB421 matches the address data in the main data 411 shown in fig. 4.

[ Table 6]

Address sequence number	Address name	Address
			Address 1	Ongshan mountain	03-4444-9999
Address 2	Haw mouth	aaaa@xxxx.co.jp
			...	-	-
Address N	-	-

In the above manner, the setting information stored in the MFP120b and the setting information stored in the server 110 can be synchronized. For example, when the address 3 is deleted from the master data 411 of the server 110 in response to a deletion request from the MFP120a, the address 3 can also be deleted from the setting information DB421 of the MFP120 b. The synchronization process executed in the MFP120a is similar to the above-described example of the synchronization process in the MFP120 b.

Next, a process executed by the server 110 upon receiving an acquisition request for update information from the MFP120 is described with reference to fig. 8. In the exemplary embodiment described below, an acquisition request for update information is received from the MFP120 b. The flow shown in fig. 8 is implemented by the control unit 415 of the server application 410. The flow shown in fig. 8 is realized by the CPU 203 reading out and executing a program stored in the HDD205 or the ROM 206.

In step S801, the control unit 415 determines whether an acquisition request for update information has been received from the MFP 120. When the acquisition request for update information transmitted in step S701 shown in fig. 7 has been received (yes in step S801), the process proceeds to step S802. On the other hand, when the acquisition request for the update information has not been received (no in step S801), the processing in step S801 is repeated.

In step S802, the control unit 415 determines whether it is possible to transmit update information in response to the acquisition request. In the present exemplary embodiment, the control unit 415 determines whether the updated content of the master data 411 after the time indicated by the time information in the acquisition request from the MFP120b can be transmitted. The time information included in the acquisition request is information indicating the time when synchronization was previously performed between the MFP120b that has sent the acquisition request and the server 110.

For example, when there is setting information in which the deletion flag is turned on after the time of the previous preamble, the control unit 415 determines that the update information can be transmitted. In the present exemplary embodiment, upon recognizing that the master data 411 has not been updated after the previous preamble processing, the control unit 415 also determines that the updated contents (no update) can be transmitted.

On the other hand, when deletion information indicating that the update history (setting information for which the deletion flag has been turned on) has been deleted from the master data 411 after the previous time remains in the deletion recording unit 412, the control unit 415 determines that the update information cannot be transmitted.

As described above, at the timing when the setting information (update history) whose deletion flag has been turned on is deleted from the master data 411, the deletion information is recorded in the deletion recording unit 412. The deletion recording unit 412 does not record information indicating the setting information that has been deleted. Therefore, the server 110 cannot transmit the updated content (the deleted setting information) as a response to the acquisition request from the MFP120 b.

When the control unit 415 determines that the update information can be transmitted (yes in step S802), the processing proceeds to step S803. On the other hand, when the control unit 415 determines that the update information cannot be transmitted (no in step S802), the processing proceeds to step S804.

In step S803, the control unit 415 transmits update information to the MFP120 that has transmitted the acquisition request. The update information indicates the content of the update (including "no update") of the master data 411 after the time indicated by the time information in the acquisition request. In this way, when the main data 411 stores update information (setting information whose deletion flag has been turned on) indicating that a part of the setting information is deleted, the update information is transmitted to the MFP120b as a response to the acquisition request.

In step S804, the control unit 415 transmits an error response to the acquisition request. In the present exemplary embodiment, the error response is a notification for prompting the MFP120b to acquire the setting information stored in the master data 411. As described above, when the information indicating that the update information has been deleted from the main data 411 is recorded in the deletion recording unit 412, the control unit 415 performs control of causing the MFP120b to acquire the setting information stored in the main data 411. When the processing in step S803 or S804 is completed, the processing returns to step S801.

The data to be synchronized is not limited to the address data as described in the present exemplary embodiment, and may be any type of data having a deletable data structure.

In the present exemplary embodiment described above, even when a notification indicating that the setting information has been deleted is received from the first MFP, the server 110 does not immediately delete the setting information in the master data 411, but records the setting information in association with the deletion flag. Then, when a synchronization request is received from the second MFP, a notification indicating that the setting information associated with the deletion flag has been deleted is transmitted. In this way, when a synchronization request is received from the second MFP, the synchronization process can be executed without transmitting all the address data between the server and the second MFP. Therefore, the synchronization process can be performed with a smaller amount of communication between the server and the second MFP. When all MFPs connected to the server 110 have been notified of the setting information, the deletion flag associated with the setting information is deleted. When the deletion flag is deleted, the setting information associated with the deletion flag is deleted.

In the present exemplary embodiment described above, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, for example, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the deletion flag has been recorded, the deletion flag is deleted from the server 110. Then, the address information associated with the deletion flag is deleted from the master data. Therefore, the capacity of the storage unit of the server 110 can be prevented from being unnecessarily consumed by the accumulated deletion information.

In step S604 described with reference to fig. 6, it is determined whether the setting information whose deletion flag has been turned on is to be deleted, and when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the deletion flag has been turned on, it is determined that the setting information is to be deleted. When the MFP120 transmits an acquisition request for update information to the server 110 every predetermined period of time T, the control unit 415 may determine that the setting information is to be deleted when at least the predetermined period of time T has elapsed after the deletion flag has been turned on.

In this way, the server 110 receives an acquisition request for update information from the MFP120 connected to the server 110 at least once before the setting information whose deletion flag has been turned on is actually deleted from the server 110. The MFP120 can acquire the setting information with the deletion flag being turned on as a response to the acquisition request for update information transmitted in step S701. Therefore, the result of the determination in step S702 is yes, and the setting information DB421 can be updated with the update information in step S703.

In such an embodiment, the MFP120 that has performed synchronous communication with the server 110 before the deletion flag is turned on can execute the synchronization process without executing the process of acquiring all data in steps S705 to S707. Therefore, the MFP120 can perform the synchronization process using the update information indicating the difference, so that a smaller processing load can be achieved as compared with the update involving acquiring all the data. Therefore, a smaller processing load and communication load in the system can be achieved.

In the processing performed in step S804 described with reference to fig. 8, the control unit 415 may transmit all the data of the setting information of the synchronization target stored in the master data 411 to the MFP120 that has transmitted the acquisition request, instead of transmitting the error response. All the data is the same as all the data acquired by the MFP120 in step S706 as described above.

In this way, the MFP120 can receive all the data without transmitting the acquisition request in step S705. Therefore, the processing in step S705 can be omitted.

Other embodiments

The client according to the present invention is not limited to the MFP, and may be a device such as an information device terminal that manages setting information that changes according to information about the information device terminal.

Embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (also more fully referred to as "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, and/or includes one or more circuits (e.g., Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, and methods may be utilized by a computer of a system or apparatus, for example, that reads and executes computer-executable instructions from a storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, and/or controls one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, to implement embodiments of the present invention. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), Micro Processing Unit (MPU)) and may include a separate computer or a network of separate processors to read out and execute computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or a storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM)Memory for distributed computing systems, optical disks (such as Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), or blu-ray disk (BD)^TM) One or more of a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

The embodiments of the present invention can also be realized by a method in which software (programs) that perform the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or an apparatus through a network or various storage media, and a computer or a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Processing Unit (MPU) of the system or the apparatus reads out and executes the methods of the programs.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A server apparatus, the server apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a database of setting information,

a receiving unit configured to receive, from a first client apparatus, a deletion request for a part of setting information in a database;

a storage unit configured to store, in response to receiving the deletion request, information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted;

a receiving unit configured to receive a request for synchronizing the setting information from the second client apparatus after storing the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, and

a setting unit configured to transmit all settings except the part of the setting information in a case where a request is transmitted from the second client apparatus at a first timing, and transmit information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted to the second client apparatus in a case where a request is transmitted from the second client apparatus at a second timing.

2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein,

wherein the receiving unit receives, from the first client apparatus, an addition request for adding the setting information to be further stored in the storage unit.

3. The server device according to claim 1, wherein,

wherein the part of the setting information is associated with date and time information, and the transmission unit is configured to determine whether to transmit information indicating deletion of the part of the setting information to the second client apparatus based on at least the date and time information.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deletion unit configured to delete information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, wherein the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted remains stored in the storage unit until a predetermined period of time elapses after the deletion request is received, and the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted from the storage unit when the predetermined period of time elapses after the deletion request is received.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deletion unit configured to delete information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, wherein the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted remains stored in the storage unit until the amount of the setting information stored in the storage unit exceeds a predetermined threshold after the deletion request is received, and the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted from the storage unit when the amount of the setting information stored in the storage unit exceeds the predetermined threshold.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deletion unit configured to delete the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, wherein the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted remains stored in the storage unit after the deletion request is received and before the notification unit notifies all the client apparatuses connected to the server apparatus of the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, and the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted from the storage unit when the notification unit notifies all the client apparatuses connected to the server apparatus of the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted.

7. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deletion unit configured to delete information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, wherein the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted and the part of the setting information remain to be stored in the storage unit until a predetermined condition is satisfied after the deletion request is received, and delete the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted and the part of the setting information from the storage unit when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

8. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the client apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

9. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

10. An information processing system including a first client device, a second client device, and a server device, the information processing system comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a database of setting information including a part of the setting information,

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the first client apparatus, a deletion request for the part of the setting information;

11. A control method for a server apparatus, the control method comprising:

a database storing setting information including a part of the setting information,

receiving, from the first client apparatus, a deletion request for the part of the setting information;

storing information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted in response to receiving the deletion request;

receiving a request for synchronizing the setting information from the second client apparatus after storing the information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted, an

When a request is transmitted from the second client apparatus at the first timing, all settings except the part of the setting information are transmitted, and when a request is transmitted from the second client apparatus at the second timing, information indicating that the part of the setting information is deleted is transmitted to the second client apparatus.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein,

wherein in the receiving step, an addition request for adding the setting information to be further stored in the storage unit is received from the first client apparatus.